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The Football Ambassadors of Pre-Partition Bangladesh

Bangladesh had a fraught path to independence. Squeezed in between the mega forces of Pakistan and India the people of the former East Pakistan suffered greatly as they sought freedom.

But, as this little known story (at least to us) shows, there was an important strategy by some to use sport to open up the debate.

Some of the tactics used might sit uncomfortably with some - the involvement of some Indians for instance seems reflective of the politics of convenience at a tense time for instance - but the overall strategy of using sport as a form of peace diplomacy is roundly endorsed by The Kick Project.

The power of sport to open up the space for dialogue - often in inarticulate ways - remains a powerful and too-little used force for good in the human world.

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